General Information on the Career Service Examinations Professional and Sub-professional Levels

IMPORTANT:

• THE INFORMATION ON THE CAREER SERVICE EXAMINATIONS CONTAINED HERE ARE GENERAL IN NATURE.

• THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION (CSC) ISSUES A CORRESPONDING EXAMINATION ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE CONDUCT OF THE CAREER SERVICE EXAMINATIONS.

• APPLICANTS ARE ADVISED TO CHECK OUT THE EXAMINATION ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PARTICULARS AND/OR UPDATES ON EXAMINATION RULES, REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURE.

• IN ANY CASE OF INCONSISTENCY, THE EXAMINATION ANNOUNCEMENT SHALL PREVAIL OVER THIS GENERAL INFORMATION.

A. QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE CAREER SERVICE EXAMINATION (CSE) • 

Career Service Professional and Sub-professional examinations are open to applicants regardless of educational attainment.

• Applicants for both levels must:   –  Be Filipino citizens, at least 18 years old, and of good moral character;   –  Have no criminal record or have not been convicted by final judgment of an offense or crime involving moral turpitude;   –  Have not been dishonorably discharged from military service or dismissed for cause from any civilian position in the government; and   –  Have not taken the same level of career service examination within three (3) months from last examination taken, or for those who have repeatedly failed, have not failed the same level of examination for four times since October 2002.

B. MODES OF TAKING THE CSE    The Career Service Examination (Professional and Sub-Professional levels) may be taken through either of the following modes:

1. Paper and Pencil Test (PPT)   The CSE-PPT is conducted nationwide twice or thrice a year subject to the approval of the Commission. Filing of applications for the CSE-PPT is through the CSC Regional or Field Offices.   Applicants are advised to refer to the Examination Announcement, which the CSC officially issues for each schedule of the CSE-PPT.

2. Computer Assisted Test (CAT)   The CSE-CAT is conducted in Civil Service Commission Central Office (CSCCO), IBP Road, Batasan Hills, Quezon City, and in selected CSC Regional Offices (CSCRO) such as CSC-CAR, Baguio City. For the schedule of conduct of CSE-CAT, applicants are advised to coordinate/get in touch with the CSCCO, or the concerned CSCRO. Please visit the CSC website www.csc.gov.ph for the directory of CSC Central and Regional Offices.

C. APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

1.

Properly accomplished application form (CS Form No. 100, Revised 2008);

2.

Four (4) copies of identical I.D. pictures with specifications, as follows: a. (4.5 cm x 3.5 cm - 1.78" x 1.38") Passport size b. Colored with white background c. Printed on quality photo paper d. Must show the subject applicant in standard close-up shot (from shoulder level up) e. With full name tag – The name tag must show the applicant's First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name, and Extension Name (if any). – The name tag should not be computer-generated, meaning, the applicant should have his/her picture taken while holding his/her name tag. f. Taken within the last three months prior to filing of application

Note: The following pictures are NOT accepted: – Scanned, computer-enhanced, photocopied, and cut-out pictures; – Pictures showing subject applicant not in close-up shot (lower than shoulder level); – Pictures with incomplete and/or computer-generated name tag; and – Pictures without name tag.

3.

Original and photocopy of any valid I.D. card with name, picture and signature of the applicant, and name and signature of the issuing officer (i.e. Driver's License, BIR ID, GSIS/SSS ID, Postal ID, Voter's ID, current Office/School ID, or valid Passport); and

4.

Examination fee of P500 for the Paper and Pencil Test (PPT), or P600 for Computer Assisted Test (CAT). D. WHERE TO SECURE & FILE APPLICATION FORMS

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Application forms may be secured from any CSC Regional or Field Office, or downloaded from the CSC website www.csc.gov.ph.

•

For the CSE-PPT, applications must be filed at any CSC Regional or Field Office. The CSC Central Office in Batasan Hills, Quezon City, does not accept and process applications for CSE-PPT. Acceptance of applications shall be on a First-Come, First-Serve basis. Filing of application closes forty-five (45) days before the examination date.However, applications may no longer be accepted before the deadline if the target number of applicants has already been reached by the CSROs.

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For the CSE-CAT, applications must first register in the Online CSE-CAT Application Reservation System (OCARS) on a specified date and time indicated inthe advisory which shall be posted in the CSC website usually on the third Mondays of March, June, September and December of the year.Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Successful registrants will get a confirmation and eventually an email notifying them of their assigned date topersonally file the application form at the CSC-CO.

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As a general rule, acceptance of examination applications for both CSE-PPT and CSE-CAT is on a first-come, first-served basis. Failure to come on the scheduled examination date would mean forfeiture of examination slot and fee. No request for re-scheduling is allowed. E. FREQUENCY OF TAKING THE CAREER SERVICE EXAMINATION (Based on CSC Resolution No. 1100300 dated March 1, 2011)

•

There shall be no limit in taking the Career Service Examination, however, taking the same level of examination, Professional or Subprofessional, either through Paper-and-Pencil Test (PPT) or Computer-Assisted Test (CAT) shall be once in every three (3) months only. F. SCOPE OF EXAMINATION Professional Level In English and Filipino: vocabulary, grammar and correct usage, paragraph organization, reading comprehension, analogy, logic, and numerical reasoning. Subprofessional Level In English and Filipino: vocabulary, grammar and correct usage, paragraph organization, reading comprehension, clerical operations, and numerical reasoning. Both levels of the examination will have general information questions on Philippine Constitution; Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (R. A. 6713); peace and human rights issues and concepts; and environment management and protection. G. PASSING RATE: Eighty (80) H. EXAMINATION RESULT

1.

CSE-PPT Results of the CSE-PPT are usually released from three to four months after the examination. The names of passed examinees shall be posted at the CSC website www.csc.gov.ph. Those who passed the examination must personally claim their Certificates of Eligibility at the CSC Regional Office/Field Office upon presentation of required documents. On the other hand, those who failed the examination may secure a copy of their Report of Rating through the CSC website. No Report of Rating shall be mailed to those who failed. To secure a copy of the Report of Rating, an examinee must key in his/her name, date of birth, examinee number, examination date, and examination type. Thus, examinees are advised to safe keep or remember their examinee number until receipt of the examination result.

2.

CSE-CAT Results of the CSE-CAT are usually released within two to three hours after the examination. Examinees are strongly advised to wait for the examination results. Those who passed shall receive their Certificate of Eligibility, while those who failed shall receive their Report of Rating. Should an examinee fail to claim/receive his/her examination result on the examination day, he/she has to personally return at a later date to claim either his/her Certificate of Eligibility or Report of Rating. The names of passed CSE-CAT examinees shall be posted at the CSC website. Meanwhile, a copy of the Report of Rating of failed examinees may also be secured through the CSC website. To secure a copy of the Report of Rating, an examinee must key in his/her name, date of birth, examinee number, examination date, and examination type.

WARNING:

Any form of cheating in any civil service examination shall be considered a violation of REPUBLIC ACT (R.A.) NO. 9416, otherwise known as "An Act Declaring as Unlawful Any Form of Cheating in Civil Service Examinations, Unauthorized Use and Possession of CSC Examination Related Materials, and Granting the Commission Exclusive Jurisdiction Over These Cases Including Those Committed by Private Individuals".

Any person found guilty of an offense under R.A. 9416 may be held administratively and criminally liable.

Any person found ADMINISTRATIVELY LIABLE shall be imposed the following penalties: For one who is in the government service, dismissal from the service including all the accessory penalties of cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, bar from taking any civil service examination, and perpetual disqualification from re-entering the government service; and For a private individual, perpetual bar from entering the government service, and perpetual bar from taking any government examination.

Any person found CRIMINALLY LIABLE shall be imposed the following penalties: Imprisonment of not less than six years and one day but not more than 12 years; Fine of not less than Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000.00); and the appropriate accessory penalties.

SUBJECT AREA 1 CLERICAL OPERATIONS WITH LETTERS AND NUMBERS: These questions test for skills and abilities in clerical operations with letters and numbers.

TEST TASK: You will be given questions which involve a variety of operations with letters and numbers. You must determine the specific answer to each question. The operations may involve alphabetizing, comparing, checking, and/or counting given groups of letters and/or numbers. SAMPLE QUESTION 1:

How many pairs of the following groups of letters are exactly alike?

BRFQSX BRFQSX ACDOBJ ACDBOJ RPTQVS RPTQVS ZUYRVB ZUYRVB SPQRAS SQRPAS HVCBWR HVCRWB

A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5

The correct answer is B.

SOLUTION: To answer this question correctly, compare the groups of letters in the column on the left, with the groups of letters in the column on the right. Determine how many pairs are exactly alike. Since three pairs are exactly alike (BRFQSX, RPTQVS, ZUYRVB), the correct answer to this question is 3 (choice B).

SAMPLE QUESTION 2:

In the following sentence, how many words contain letters that appear more than once in that word?

“Right around April Fool’s Day, the daffodils and crocuses start to emerge and cheer us up after a long winter.” A. 5 B. 6 C. 7 D. 8

The correct answer is B.

SOLUTION: To answer this question correctly, look at each word to see how many contain the same letter more than once. Since six words (“Fool’s”, “daffodils”, “crocuses”, “start”, “emerge”, “cheer”) contain letters that appear more than once in that word, the correct answer to this question is 6 (choice B).

SAMPLE QUESTION 3:

Which choice below lists the letter that is as far after C as T is after O in the alphabet? A. G B. H C. I D. J

The correct answer is B.

SOLUTION: To answer this question correctly, count how many letters are between O and T in the alphabet. There are 4 letters between O and T in the alphabet (P,Q,R,S). Since there are also 4 letters between C and H in the alphabet (D,E,F,G), the correct answer to this question is H (choice B).

SAMPLE QUESTION 4:

In the following list of numbers, how many times does 8 come just after 6 when 6 comes just after an odd number?

6325687253494236844576842396868 A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5

The correct answer is C.

SOLUTION: To answer this question correctly, determine the number of times 8 follows 6 when 6 follows an odd number in the list of numbers above. Since there are 4 times where 8 follows 6 when 6 follows an odd number in the list above (568, 368, 768, 968), the correct answer to this question is 4 (choice C).

SUBJECT AREA 2 ARITHMETIC COMPUTATION WITHOUT CALCULATORS: These questions test for the ability to do addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Questions may also involve fractions, decimals, averages, and percents. You will not be allowed to use a calculator or any other type of calculating device to answer these questions or any other questions on this written test.

TEST TASK: You will be provided with numerical problems which you must solve by adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing. You may also have to solve problems involving fractions, decimals, averages, and percents. These arithmetic computations must be done without the aid of a calculator.

SAMPLE QUESTION:

How much is 150% of 80?

A. 1.8

B. 5.3

C. 70.0

D. 120.0

The correct answer to this sample question is D.

SOLUTION: To answer this question correctly, you must first convert 150% to its decimal value, 1.5. You must then multiply 80 by 1.5 to determine what 150% of 80 is. Since 80 x 1.5 = 120.0, the correct answer to this sample question is 120.0 (Choice D).

SUBJECT AREA 3 ARITHMETIC REASONING: These questions test for the ability to solve arithmetic problems which are presented in sentence or short paragraph form. Knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division is necessary. Questions may also involve the use of percents, decimals, and fractions.

TEST TASK: For each question, you must read the problem, understand the situation presented, decide what must be done to answer the question, and apply the appropriate arithmetic operation(s), in the correct order, in order to arrive at the correct answer.

SAMPLE QUESTION:

Of the 300 people working at a medical facility, 14% are physicians' assistants. How many workers at the medical facility are not physicians' assistants?

A. 42

B. 86

C. 258

D. 286

The correct answer to this sample question is C.

SOLUTION: To answer this question correctly, you must first determine what percent of the people working at the medical facility are not physicians’ assistants. Since 14% are physicians’ assistants, 86% (100% minus 14%) are not physicians’ assistants. You must then convert 86% to its decimal value, 0.86, and multiply 300 by 0.86, to determine what 86% of 300 is (the number of workers at the medical facility who are not physicians’ assistants). Since 300 x 0.86 = 258, the number of workers at the medical facility who are not physicians’ assistants is 258 (choice C).

TEST SECURITY

The test you will be taking is the property of the New York State Department of Civil Service. Candidates may not remove test material from the test site and may not reproduce, reconstruct, or discuss the test content with others. Unauthorized possession or disclosure of the test material is prohibited by law and punishable by imprisonment and/or a fine. Additionally, candidates may be disqualified from appointment to the positions for which the examination is being held and from being a candidate for any civil service examination for five years. After you take the test, other individuals may want to talk with you about the test. You should not discuss the questions and answers, even in general terms. You should be careful that you do not inadvertently violate test security and put yourself at risk.

CONCLUSION

Your attitude and approach to the test will influence how well you perform. A positive attitude will help you do your best.

Before the test ...

• Study and review this guide to become familiar with what the test will cover.

• Study and review the subject areas that will be covered on the test.

On the day of the test ...

• Arrive at the test site on time.

• Bring your Admission Notice, two No. 2 pencils, a photo ID containing your signature, a quiet lunch or snack, and any other allowed materials.

• Do NOT bring this test guide to the test site.

At the test site …

• Do NOT bring cell phones, beepers, headphones, or any electronic or other communication devices to the test site.

• The use of such devices anywhere on the grounds of the test site (this includes the test room, hallways, restrooms, building, grounds, and parking lots) could result in your disqualification.

During the test ...

• Read and follow all directions on your Admission Notice, test booklets, answer sheets, and Candidate Directions.

• Follow the Monitor's instructions.

• Keep track of the time.

After the test ...

• Do NOT remove any test materials from the test room

• Do NOT paraphrase, reconstruct, or reproduce the test material in any way.

• Do NOT discuss the test material with others.